St. Gloriana Girls College vs. Yogurt Academy
The battle between St. Gloriana Girls College (bracket number 10) and Yogurt Academy (bracket number 11) was a match in the quarter-finals of the 63ʳᵈ National High School Sensha-dō Tournament. St. Gloriana had fought BC Freedom High School in first round and Yogurt had fought Waffle Academy. The match grounds were comprised of plains and highlands. The match ended in a victory for St. Gloriana Girls College. Battle Premise On this match the one who controlled the highlands obtained dominance over the match outcome. St. Gloriana's tanks, despite their low speed, had wide tracks that increased their mobility and bestowed great climbing ability. Factors going in favour of Yogurt were the powerful German tanks and their recent gunnery training, although the team doctrine as a whole still shied away from offensive tactics of any kind. Race for the Top Yogurt's first move was to run for the high ground. Whilst climbing the hill, they were spotted by St. Gloriana from 3 kilometres away and subjected to a fierce bombardment. Yogurt's tanks returned fire, but their accuracy hadn't made significant advances since the first round, and the rounds failed to find their targets. Darjeeling took advantage of Yogurt's reloading time to have her forces sweep around the base of the hill to the opposite slope, where they were underneath Yogurt's gun line and safe from effective bombardment. British Ascent Nilgiri's Matilda pushed forwards to try to get eyes on the enemy but was quickly destroyed. In return, however, Assam claimed the first St. Gloriana kill by destroying a Hotchkiss H39. With a solid lock on the position of Yogurt's main force, the St. Gloriana vehicles formed a spearhead and assaulted the hill. The excellent climbing skills of the Churchill and Matildas allowed them to close the range at full speed to overwhelm Yogurt before they could make full use of their elevated firing position. With Yogurt's attempts to prevent St. Gloriana's uphill advance foiled, they pulled their tanks back behind the ridge line and set up defensively to get the first shot at St. Gloriana tanks trying to crest the hill. Battle at the Hilltop A cloud of dust raised by the ensuing battle had obscured vision over the top of the hill, but St. Gloriana didn't hesitate in their advance. The first Matilda that crested the rise was immediately eliminated by a barrage of fire from the waiting Yogurt tanks. The second Matilda to make it onto the reverse slope suffered a similar fate, but not before her commander had spotted Yogurt's flag tank, the Panzer 38(t), and radioed its position back to her teammates. At Darjeeling's command, St. Gloriana's remaining tanks went over the top. The remaining Matildas passed over the ridge and the two sides clashed in a close-ranged brawl. Making excellent use of their training and proficiency on the sloped terrain, St. Gloriana's tanks danced around their opponents, leaving many of Yogurt's tanks nullified by their slow turret traverse. Even Yogurt's Panther struggled to acquire targets as St. Gloriana Matildas swarmed through the lines and immobilised vehicles one after another. The last tank over the rise, the Churchill, crested the ridge at a steep angle, then came down directly on top of the unsuspecting Jagdpanzer IV, which was positioned on the reverse slope. The Jagdpanzer vainly tried to extricate itself from the Churchill, but Assam ignored the efforts of the turret-less tank destroyer. Adjusting her sights onto the escaping Panzer 38(t) instead, she claimed the match for St. Gloriana with a single incapacitating side shot. Aftermath Even though Yogurt improved their abilities somewhat since the previous match, their still overall lacklustre accuracy and boldness in their tactics led them to their doom against a stronger school like St. Gloriana. Their deficiency in skill was further aggravated by the fact that the crews of Yogurt's most powerful tanks were still unaccustomed to handling their equipment, and their combat potential was largely ineffective during the crucial battle atop the hill. After the match Darjeeling, Assam and Orange Pekoe had the opportunity to have some yogurt while enjoying their victory. Shortly after Darjeeling, who was greatly impressed by Yogurt's great effort during the match despite their lack of experience, proposed to their vice-commander to have a practice match in near future. St. Gloriana would fight the previous year's runner-up, Kuromorimine Girls Academy, during the semi-finals. Trivia *As in the exhibition match against Ooarai or in the first round against BC Freedom, Nilgiri is the first casualty of the match. Category:Battles Category:63rd Sensha-Dō Tournament Category:Flag Matches Category:St. Gloriana Girls' High School Category:Yogurt High School Girls' Academy Category:Timeline